Cowboys' Jason Witten retires, joins ESPN's 'Monday Night Football'

Jason Witten is the latest Dallas Cowboys standout to leave the gridiron for the broadcast booth, as the 15-year veteran tight end will join ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Witten held a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce his retirement from the Cowboys.

"Coaches work a lot of hours," Witten said with a smirk at the news conference when asked why he chose broadcasting over coaching. "If you can't play it, you want to coach. If you can't coach it, you wan't to be around it. I think it's a unique opportunity to join a good team and to partner with guys with the same passion."

The possibility of Witten's retirement to pursue a broadcast career surfaced last week as he was first connected to the Monday Night Football job. The position has been vacant since the departure of Jon Gruden, who took over as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in January. 

Witten's unexpected retirement mirrors that of the quarterback who tossed him the ball in Dallas for more than a decade.

Tony Romo retired last offseason to become an in-game analyst on CBS' top NFL crew alongside Jim Nantz. Hall of Fame Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has been part of Fox Sports' NFL broadcast team since 2001. 

Witten, who turns 36 on Sunday, exits the Cowboys as the franchise's all-time career leader in receiving yards (12,448), catches (1,152) and games played (239). 

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